Plush
by apk1980
Summary: Just a story about two regular people falling in love. Angst free, for once.
1. Chapter 1

**I need a break from Bound. Some of you know that my brother was in an accident a while back and suffered a traumatic brain injury. He's doing very well, but it was so, so scary. Well, two weeks ago, a close friend suffered the same fate, and they're actually not sure if she'll recover. Anyway, I just need a break from angst, and this is completely angst-free. I originally wrote this as an Emmett/Bella story, but I've been playing around with it and it's morphed into something else. Bound fans, know I do plan to finish the story. Just not right now. Thanks for understanding.**

"I accidentally touched a penis, today," I mentioned as casually as possible, taking a sip from my water bottle. Tanya's eyes widened comically as her eyes snapped to mine.

"What happened?" she asked, slipping into boss mode, standing from the break room table, and rifling through her locker. "Let me grab a pen. You don't have another one until two o'clock, right?"

We sat together as I recounted the story of my massage gone horribly wrong. "So, everything else about the massage was normal, aside from the penis graze?" Tanya asked with a surprisingly straight face.

"Yeah, he apologized for being hard and I apologized for grazing and other than a small embarrassed snicker, we moved on from there." Embarrassed as hell, I didn't speak another word to my client. James was actually a nice guy once you got past his cocky demeanor. He was pretty good looking, but just extremely arrogant; definitely not my type. But, he was always completely polite and gentlemanly when he came in for his massages, and he left great tips.

"Thanks for letting me know, Bella. It's always good to document these things, even though I sincerely doubt anything will come of it. James always speaks so highly of you," she spoke without looking up, signing and dating the form. "Sign here."

Thankfully, the rest of my day was completely uneventful; two deep tissue massages and an aromatherapy wrap. As I carried my sheets to the laundry room at the end of the day, my best friend, Alice bounced after me. "Please come! You totally deserve a drink after your day!" She'd been trying to talk me into going to Harry's Bar after work since I told her about the James incident. "Come on! It's quarter wings night!" I'm not sure why she thought cheap hot wings were going to make me agree, but it seemed to be working.

"Fine, but I'm only staying for one drink." I dumped the sheets in the basket and threw away the plastic film and disposable underwear from the wrap. "I mean it. I'm not sitting around watching you get drunk, either. If you want to hang out all night, you might want to invite Jess, too."

x

Jessica was an impressive flirt. The cute boys surrounding her were hanging on her every word. Alice and I shared an amused glance as yet another drink was delivered to our table "from the guy at the bar." Jess just winked and nodded the new guy over. This happened every single time we went out with the cute hair stylist. She was an interesting soul. She was very committed to her long-time boyfriend, Mike, but she loved the attention of men. Mike thought it was hilarious and thankfully didn't have a jealous bone in his body. Jess came home to him every night and as a bonus she never spent any money on her nights out.

Alice and I were a little more low-key. Harry's was a cool dive bar with a huge screened porch and a small bar outside. We always stayed out back to avoid the crowd and cigarette smoke. The bar was packed, though, so more folks were spilling out onto the porch than usual. Alice's head rested on my shoulder, and her product-stiffened short hair made my cheek itch. "I'm gonna go grab a bottle of water. Want anything?" I asked her. She held up her nearly empty Red Stripe and I nodded, making my way to the bar.

"Hey, Bella! What're you having?" I grinned, happy to see my friend, Rose, behind the bar.

"When did you get here? I need a bottle of water and a Red Stripe, please, Madam."

"I just got here. Lauren called in again," she griped, as she grabbed my water and opened Alice's beer.

"Well, I've missed you," I told her sincerely. "You and Emmett should come over one day this week. I'll cook!"

She rolled her eyes and grimaced. "Probably not this week. Em's roommate from college just moved to town and he's got plans with him pretty much every day for the next month."

"Ah well. Maybe just you then. Or you can invite his friend. Whichever."

"Yeah, we'll see. I'll call you tomorrow," she said even as she turned to take another order.

Alice was staring blankly at Jess and her admirers when I got back to the table. "How do you think she does that?" she asked quietly. My eyebrows furrowed as I tried to follow her train of thought.

"Does what?" I asked when she didn't clarify.

"How do you think Jess gets guys to fall all over her like that? I haven't been on a date in two months, and she's got seven guys hanging all over her."

"I dunno," I shrugged. "Maybe it's just her confidence? She isn't trying to find a relationship. Maybe they can sense our desperation?" She shot me a goofy grin, knowing I was teasing.

"I was thinking maybe it's her boobs," she giggled. "Look at those things. They're pretty amazing."

"Yeah," I agreed, rolling my eyes. "They were definitely worth every penny."

Jess looked over at us then, and raised an eyebrow. "Maybe we're not being as quiet as we think?" Alice asked, with a snort.

"Yeah, maybe you're not," Jessica said with a smirk. "They are pretty spectacular, though," she agreed, straightening her back and looking down at her huge chest. Seven pairs of eyes widened and dropped several inches from her face.

"Oh, my god. I'm going home on that note," I groaned, hugging Alice and Jess on my way out.


	2. Chapter 2

Walking into Plush Day Spa on Monday morning, I tried to center myself for the day ahead. My first appointment of the day was my most high maintenance client. Heidi Volturi was the trophy wife of Aro Volturi, a ridiculously wealthy gentleman who was approximately ninety-five years old. Mrs. Volturi was twenty-two. She received a 90 minute Swedish massage, salt glow, and detoxifying body wrap every Monday, so she was basically my entire morning.

She was an extremely good client and always left a hefty tip, but I always felt like she took a bit of my soul with her when she left. Heidi liked to chat with me while she received her services. I'd always followed my clients lead when it came to talking during massages; some folks enjoyed talking while others preferred to relax quietly, and I generally didn't care either way. I truly wished, however, that Heidi was a quiet client. The three and a half hours we spent together were always filled with one-sided conversations.

Checking my schedule for the day, I did a mental fist pump when I saw my favorite client, Jasper Whitlock was my 1:00. He was an awesome and handsome way to start my afternoon. Alice had the biggest crush on him, but never said one word to him. She blushed like a schoolgirl when she saw him in the hallway and grilled me about him every single time he came in.

After that, I had three new clients, and then I was done for the day. I set about prepping my room for Heidi, laying out the Mylar blanket, electric blanket, plastic wrap, disposable underwear, and towels. I quickly mixed together the wrap and scooped out a small amount of the salt glow onto my pallette. I turned on the speakers and lowered the lights, enjoying the peacefulness of my room for a second.

Alice walked in quietly, passing me a Styrofoam cup filled with goodness, and sat on the chair in the corner of my room. "I saw that my man is coming in today," she said with a smirk.

"Why are you trolling my schedule, please?" I asked her, laughing. "Are you gonna speak to him today?"

Rolling her eyes, she snorted. "I don't think so. That man is too hot; he turns me into a twelve year old. It's ridiculous."

"What's ridiculous is that you won't speak to him! He's so nice, Alice. He's not gonna bite your head off, I swear."

"We'll see," she said around her cup lid. "Oh, did you see my schedule?"

"No, why?"

"All waxes. I have SEVEN Brazilians today. SEVEN. I've never seen so many vaginas in a day before. I'm not sure I'll be able to eat lunch."

"You don't have any facials at all?" I asked in amazement. When she shook her head, I couldn't control my giggles.

"Laugh it up, Swan. I'm living the dream of every thirteen year old boy."

"I've been splurging all week," said Heidi with a shit eating grin. "Aro just bought a new home at an auction and I've been decorating it."

"Oh, are you moving?" I asked, trying to sound interested. I wasn't sure I pulled it off.

She laughed as though I'd asked her the funniest question she'd ever heard. "Oh, definitely not. This home is only like 3000 square feet. We're thinking of using it for guests."

Thankful that she was face down, I rolled my eyes. She would die if she ever walked into my 1200 square food town home. "That sounds great," I said agreeably, checking the time for the third time in five minutes.

When our time was finally up, I got a bottle of water for Heidi and let Leah know she was ready for her pedicure. Leah plastered on her best fake smile and followed me to my room to collect her client. When they had gone, I sighed in relief and cleaned my room for Jasper before eating lunch.

Spending an hour rubbing the body of a man who looked like Jasper Whitlock was no hardship. He was tall and fit, with a swimmer's body. His shoulders were broad and his hips were narrow and even though he was blindingly handsome, all I could think was that he'd be amazing for Alice. Call it a hunch, but I just knew they'd balance each other out perfectly.

On top of being unreasonably good looking, he was brilliant. He was so much fun to talk to, our time always flew by. We passed Alice in the hallway as I walked him to the reception area, and for the first time, my cute as a button friend grew some balls and spoke. "Hi, Jasper," she said quietly, smiling an adorably shy smile.

"Hi there," he replied, sounding shocked. To my amusement and delight, he stopped dead in front of me as Alice passed, and watched her walk away. I couldn't wait to tell her.

After saying goodbye to Jasper and cleaning my room for my next client, I checked my schedule. I had someone named Edward Cullen for a 60 minute deep tissue massage. Shutting my door, I stretched my neck and then my hands. I had only been massaging for six years, but I was already feeling the effects in my wrists and back.

Giana knocked quietly on my door before walking in. "Your next one is here," she said quietly, handing me his intake form before walking back to the front desk. Looking over his form, I learned that he was twenty-nine years old and suffered from a lot of stress. As an architect, I imagined he spent a good bit of time on his computer, so I made a note to ask about shoulder and neck pain.

Taking a moment to center myself, I took a deep breath before walking into the quiet waiting area. "Mr. Cullen?" I called, looking down at his form. When I looked back up, I felt my breath hitch embarrassingly. He was pretty much beautiful, and that was saying something when I had just massaged Jasper. He was nearly a foot taller than me and had such a good body. He was lean and muscular and his jawline was the stuff my naughty dreams were made of. I cleared my throat and looked back down at his form. "Follow me, please."

Throughout the entire intake process, I avoided his super green eyes. I pretended to write on his form to have something to do with my nervous hands. After telling him to undress and slide under the sheet and blanket, I slipped quickly from the room and hightailed it to the front desk. I desperately looked on the schedule to see if anyone else was available to take his appointment. Of course, as luck had it, no one was. For the first time in my career, I was nervous about a massage. I had always prided myself on my professionalism and now I had to massage someone who made me feel very... inappropriate.

I actually had the fleeting thought that maybe happy endings weren't THAT big a deal, before mentally slapping myself. In the restroom, I splashed my flushed cheeks with water and gave myself a pep talk. "You can do this. You do NOT want to hump your client. That's disgusting. Don't be a cliché! Just get in there and pretend he's old and fat." With a deep, cleansing breath, I walked down the hall to my room.

I knocked quietly, listening carefully for his reply. "Come in," he called and I opened the door. As soon as I saw what waited for me on my table, I wanted to turn and walk out. The sheet was draped low on his hips and his chest and stomach were toned and more muscular than I imagined.

"Old and fat.. Old and fat," I thought to myself as I rolled my stool to the head of the table. Thankfully, he was a quiet client. There was no way I could have followed a conversation with him as I was too busy fighting the urge to molest him. His skin was smooth and his muscles were firm and he was so, so warm. His neck and shoulders were so tight, though, and I was able to focus on relieving his tension and working out all the knots I found. By the time I finished the massage, I was much calmer and felt pretty sure I was ovulating. I had to blame those overactive hormones on something!

When I brought his water into the room, he was propped up on his elbows and rubbing his hand across his face. "How do you feel?" I asked him quietly as I passed him the bottle of water.

"Oh my god, so good," he answered in a rough, sleepy voice. He turned his eyes to mine and I was stunned stupid once again.

"Okay, I'm glad," I squeaked. "Do you remember how to get out to the lobby?" I sagged with relief when he nodded that he did. "Okay, you can relax for a few minutes and then make your way out to the front, okay? I'll see you next time." There was no way I could walk him out: I could barely look at him.

Several minutes later, after I'd downed a bottle of water and eaten some string cheese, I was prepping my room for my next client when Giana walked in, smiling. "Edward gave me this for you," she said, passing me a hefty tip. "Also, he booked out for the year."

I swallowed hard before asking her, "How often will he be coming in?"

"Every two weeks," she answered, happily. "He's such a cutie, huh?" she sighed. "Well, your next one's here. She's filling out her paperwork."

I nodded dumbly, lost in my head. I was going to have to get control and I only had two weeks to get it together.


	3. Chapter 3

Friday found me at Harry's Bar again. Alice and I sat at the bar watching Rose work. She was so smooth behind the bar, twirling bottles and flashing dimpled smiles at the enchanted patrons. The place was busy, but not packed out, and Rose was able to talk a good bit. "I'm sorry I didn't call you this week," she apologized, pouring someone's drink into a sugar rimmed glass. "I've been working shit hours since they ended up firing Lauren."

"It's cool. When are you off again?"

"I think Tuesday night, but I'll check," she answered, turning to get a beer from the cooler. "Remind me before you leave to double check my schedule."

"Okay, you want to come for supper around eight that night? You too, Ali," I added, turning to look at her. "I can make that Spanish chicken you like."

"Yes! I'll bring the wine," Alice agreed with a smile. "Can I get another beer, Rosie?"

"Yep, but this is the last one for you. I have to cut you off when you start calling me Rosie," she laughed. "And, Bella, I'll definitely be there. I'm not sure about Emmett. I told you about his old roommate moving here, right?" When I nodded, she continued, "Well they've been together pretty much every night since he got here. It's getting a little old."

"Well, like I said the other day, just bring him. You know I don't know how to cook for less than eight people, anyway." It was so true. Any time I had people over, I sent everyone home with leftovers and still had food to last me for days.

"Yeah, I'll mention it to them tomorrow. Text me and remind me in the morning."

x

Saturday shift was my favorite and least favorite shift of the week, simultaneously. I loved the more relaxed atmosphere at the spa, and I enjoyed the more carefree attitude of my clients. People just seemed to be in good moods on Saturdays. However, waking up at seven o'clock on Saturday morning and spending my day working instead of playing was a definite downer.

I was dragging when I walked into the spa. Checking my schedule with a yawn, I prepped my room for my first client. She was getting a salt glow and a wrap, so I had a full twenty minutes while she was in the sauna and shower to chug my coffee. Alice walked into the break room with a goofy smile plastered across her face.

"Guess what?" she practically squealed.

"Um, what?" I asked, shrugging.

"You know what? Let me just show you," she said, turning me to face the computer. Pointing at her schedule, she squeaked in my ear. "Look!"

I choked on my coffee when I saw her two o'clock men's facial. Jasper Whitlock. "Oh my god, Al, I forgot to tell you that he totally checked you out on Monday!"

"What?" she cried, looking thoroughly pissed that I could forget something so important. "Tell me everything!" After quickly telling her every single detail of the hallway incident, twice, I excused myself to retrieve my client.

x

Sitting behind the front desk to do my paperwork had its advantages; seeing the shit eating grin on Jasper's face as he came to check out, for instance. "So," I began, smirking as Jasper's ears turned red. "How was the facial?"

"It was great," he answered shyly, and I decided to cut him a break.

"Have a good weekend, Jasper!" I told him as he walked out the door.

I did not cut Alice the same break. "So? How'd it go?" I questioned, barging into her room.

"So, so good," she sighed. "We're going out tonight."

"Oh my god! I'm so excited for you!"

"Me, too," she replied, dreamy eyed and giddy.

Alice was on cloud nine. She smiled with all her teeth for the rest of the day and I was happy to see her that way for the first time in a long while.

x

"Emmett and Edward will definitely be joining us on Tuesday," Rose said over the phone Sunday morning.

"Wait, Edward?" I asked with a feeling a dread. It couldn't be.

"Yeah, Emmett's friend? Remember?"

"Of course I remember, Rose. I just never knew his name."

"Oh, yeah, well his name is Edward Cullen..."

**Hello? Anybody there?**


	4. Chapter 4

**Thanks so much for all the sweet PMs regarding my friend. Unfortunately, she passed away a few days ago. I apologize for not reviewing, but I do promise to from here on out. This one's short. The next one is longer. **

Tuesday morning, I was a bundle of nerves. I was only working an 8-2 shift, so I had plenty of time to get ready for my company that evening. My first client of the day was one of my regulars, Tyler. He was pretty cute, and super athletic. He competed regularly in triathlons, and I always had my work cut out for me when he came in for a massage. His ninety minute sports massage always left me exhausted and drenched with sweat. I was able to focus on nothing but Ty for that ninety minutes, though, which helped soothe my nerves.

"I'm bring Jasper tonight," Alice mentioned casually as I walked into the break room. I raised my eyebrows in surprise and her eyes grew wide. "I mean, is that okay? I didn't mean to assume."

"Of course it's fine, Al. I'm just surprised. I take it your date went well?" We hadn't had a chance to talk over the past few days.

Her eyes glazed over and she smiled softly. "Oh, my god, Bella. He's so, so great. I really think he could be my one."

I rolled my eyes as I brushed by her. "Oh, lord, you sound like every chick flick I've ever seen. I have to go get ready for my next one. I'll see you tonight." I closed the door to the sound of her laughter.

By the time my day was done, I had convinced myself that there was nothing to worry about. Edward was really, really cute, yeah, but I had massaged a ton of cute guys. It had never been an issue. Also, the man hadn't said more than ten words to me during his last massage. He was probably an idiot, a definite turn-off. Yep. There was nothing to worry about.

At home, I layered the chicken, black beans, salsa, chicken broth, and sweet potatoes into the crock pot and turned it on low. Looking at the clock, I tried prioritizing the next five and a half hours in my head. "First things, first," I mumbled, and began straightening my house and making sure there were no funky smells. I scrubbed the downstairs bathroom and swept and mopped the floors. I have always had a strange fear of someone coming to my house and finding it in less than immaculate shape. I blame my mother.

After getting everything cleaned and beautiful smelling, I stood in the doorway to my closet, feeling frustrated. Everything was black. Plush's dress code was seriously screwing with my wardrobe options. I was just about to give up, when I found a tiny selection of color in the very back of my closet. Sifting through the very few colorful items, I selected a pretty blue sundress to wear.

As I buffed, shaved, and washed in the shower, I shook away the little voice that wondered why I was putting so much effort into my appearance for the evening. Applying a little makeup, I rolled my eyes. Seriously, this night was no big deal. I threw my hair up in a pony tail and went back downstairs.

The food was smelling delicious, and my mouth watered as walked into the kitchen to get a beer. I settled on the couch and turned on the TV, flipping through the channels aimlessly. As I was settling in to watch Chopped, Rose texted me, letting me know that she, Emmett, and Edward were on their way. The butterflies were immediate and fierce.

My mind wandered as I stared mindlessly at the television. I had no idea what was going on, as I was very busy giving myself a mental pep talk. "Okay," I thought. "You've never had a physical reaction like you had the other day, but it was just that. Physical. You're going to have a house full of folks tonight, so it will be easier to get to know Edward and not get carried away. You were probably just ovulating the other day. I mean, what other explanation could there be?" I soothed. My new mantra became "Get to know him." I figured once I got to know the man behind the pretty face, my infatuation would definitely lessen. When the doorbell rang a few minutes later, I was feeling pretty confident.

The moment I opened the door, that confidence was shattered.


End file.
